Key+Theories+and+Assessments+in+Cognitive+Creativity

=** __The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking__ **=

(Ellis Paul Torrance)

==== Ellis Paul Torrance, known as the “Father of Creativity”, dedicated his life to research in creativity. His experience as a psychologist includes working for the United States Army, Kansas State University, United States Air Force, University of Minnesota, and the University of Georgia. In 1966 Ellis Paul Torrance wanted to expand his research in the area of creativity (Neumeister). “Thus, he developed the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) to measure how individuals’ thoughts can diverge from the norm in an effort to study creativity” (Tan, 2007). ====

==== The TTCT was designed for the purpose of research and for facilitating in finding the strengths of students. It is now widely used in children and adults. (Kim, 2006). “The TTCT ranked 24th in total number of references and had the most references of all tests of creativity” (Lissitz & Willhoft, 1985). The TTCT consists of two parts- Verbal and Figural. The TTCT-Verbal is made up of five parts: ask-and-guess, product improvement, unusual uses, unusual questions, and just suppose. For each activity the test taker is given a picture and they are to reply in action. The TTCT- Figural is made up of three parts: picture construction, picture completion, and repeated figures of lines or circles. This section requires the test taker use their creativity to make or complete pictures. (Kim, 2006). ====

__Measuring Creativity__ Measuring creativity on a scored scale is incredibly difficult. For example: Rate these 5 creative geniuses based on how creative they were?
 * Leonardo Da Vinci
 * Albert Einstein
 * Thomas Edison
 * Jason Pollock
 * Ludwig Beethoven

So how did you come to your conclusion? Did you notice any problems? Did you rate their creativity based on when they lived? What they made? Or how society has viewed them as creative? If you were to compare your list with anyone else chances are you’d have some discrepancies. This was common when psychologist first tried to measure creativity. A lot of theories were made and destroyed in the process but none the less they did find ways to create a measurement scale.

The Psychometric Tradition is the most commonly used form of measuring creativity, with one down side…There are about 10 categories in measuring creativity which include: With so many different categories how did they manage to create a test to measure them all in one? Well the answer is…they didn’t. There are 4 main/popular tests used to measure creativity. Some are similar to each other to make up for where one lacks vice versa. These tests include: **Both of these tests are very similar** **TTCT is mention above** (Zeng, L., Proctor, R. W., & Salvendy, G. 2011)
 * psychometric tools (DT tests)
 * personality inventories
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">attitude and interest batteries,
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">biographical
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">inventories
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">peer nominations
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">teacher nominations
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">supervisor ratings
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">judgments of productions
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">eminence
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">self-reported creative activities and achievements
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Structure of the intellectdivergent production test (SOI)
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wallach-Korgan (WCT)
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Gezels-Jackson (GJCT)
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT)

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">Structure of the Intellect Divergent Production Test (SOI)** <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The SOI was created by Guilford and has a humanistic approach to it’s finding. The test is used to “Capture an individual’s potential of divergent productions in several areas involving those of semantic systems, figural systems and symbolic units.” The test’s main focus is not just to asses and measure thinking/creative abilities but to develop it. It helps strengthen out weak abilities and enhance our already strong creative abilities and helps make them stronger. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">So how does the test work? <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s fairly simple. Think of it as a formula: <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">// Operations + Contents = Products // <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__ Operations __ are our creative cognitive abilities. Specific to the SOI are Cognition, Memory recording/retention, Evaluation, Convergent Production and Divergent Production. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The __Contents__ are the contexts in which our operations are measured. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Figural, Symbolic and Semantic <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__ Products __ are based on how well you were able to perform these 4 Criteria. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Zeng, L., Proctor, R. W., & Salvendy, G. 2011)
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fluency
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Flexability
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Originality
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Elaboration

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">**Wallach-Kogan (WKCT)** <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The development of the WKCT was founded on the idea of __associative conception of creativity__ “forming of associative elements into new combinations which either meet specified requirements or are in some way useful. This test is scored on the number of associational responses generated under various contexts and the uniqueness of these responses” (Zeng, L., Proctor, R. W., & Salvendy, G. 2011). <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In short the test is scored by understanding the performance shown under a various amount of contexts and the uniqueness of these responses. An example of questions that might be given in the table below: <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Zeng, L., Proctor, R. W., & Salvendy, G. 2011)

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Getzels-Jackson (GJCT)** <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The GJCT is very much like the WKCT only that the way in which the test is given is a little different. Test subjects are a exposed to 5 different categories that are assessed just like the previous tests. These categories ask the test subject how they would find useful ways to use objects, if they can find hidden shapes within shapes, how they would end/start a story, how they would make up problems and the test also asks the test subject to play a game of word association.

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Similarities between the 4 tests
<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Comparisons: <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Differences: <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Zeng, L., Proctor, R. W., & Salvendy, G. 2011)
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Highlight is Divergent Thinking
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Similar task, Abstract in nature
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">All tasks require Divergent Thinking responses
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Scored based on Fluency, Flexibility, Originality, and Elaboration
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mainly used to asses children and are followed though adulthood
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Conditions for the tests vary
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Time constraints
 * <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mission for each test may vary

=** __<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Fostering Creativity (in the classroom) __ **=

==== <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">In the article <span class="apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">// Resolving the paradoxes of creativity: an extended phase model // <span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%; padding: 0in;">, the authors label the area of creativity in the classroom a paradox. The reason they believe creativity in the classroom to be a “bundle of paradoxes” is because the research so far on the topic is so far widespread and contradictory. (Cropley & Cropley 2008) ====

====<span style="border-color: windowtext; border-width: 1pt; color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%; padding: 0in;">Below is a table of some examples of the paradoxes the authors are referring to: ====

====<span style="border-color: windowtext; border-width: 1pt; color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%; padding: 0in;">According to the research in the article the question as to whether creativity is something that can be foster in the classroom is both yes and no. Cropley & Cropley believe that teacher can help stimulate or foster creativity in some ways. In order for teachers to play a part they must ask these important questions: ====

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">The Classical Phase Model
====<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">Cropley & Cropley offer what they call an extended phase model approach to fostering creativity. They based their information off of The Classical Phase Model first introduced in 1926. The classical phase model “sees the differences between phases in the production of a creative product as not simply quantitative (for instance, step-by-step increases in the amount of knowledge), but as qualitative (involving different kinds of operation).” Each phase works as an outline to how creativity works. (Cropley & Cropley 2008) ====

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">At first the model had seven phases:

 * 1) ====<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">Encounter- problem/challenge identified ====
 * 2) ====<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">Preparation- gather information ====
 * 3) ====<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">Concentration- make effort to solve problem ====
 * 4) ====<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">Incubation- person brainstorms ideas ====
 * 5) ====<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">Illumination- solution becomes apparent ====
 * 6) ====<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">Verification- individual checks solution ====
 * 7) ====<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 115%;">Persuasion- individual tries to convince others solution does work ====

====<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">Cropley & Cropley suggest that preparation be divided into “into ‘preparation’(familiarity with a field is developed – it is impossible to generate effective surprise in a field about which you know nothing, except perhaps through a lucky fluke) and ‘activation’ (problem awareness emerges).” And they also state that after verification be Communication – the results of the creative process be made available to other people and then Validation- “the final phase in which the external environment applies – or withholds– the label ‘creative’ “(Cropley and Cropley 2008). ====

= = ﻿ Cropley and Cropley provided this table in their article in reference to the different phases. The table provides more insight on what each phase entails.

= = <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**__Graham Wallas's Stages of Creativity__**

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">In 1926, Graham Wallas published the Four Stages of Creativity. They are, in order:

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">1. Preparation <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">2. Incubation <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">3. Illumination <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">4. Verification

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Preparation is the process of gaining knowledge about the problem in question and related fields. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Incubation is a period of time spent doing nothing. This allows the subconscious mind to digest the information. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Illumination is the sudden "aha" experience, where an idea is spontaneously formed. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Verification is checking you answer against your knowledge and the information you have collected.